The Institute for US-China Issues at the University of Oklahoma was established in 2006 with the generous financial support of Harold J. & Ruth Newman, who endowed a chair for its first director, Peter Gries.

The Institute engages in and supports research and outreach activities that seek to better understand and improve US-China relations. The focus is on the deeper structure of the bilateral relationship: its dynamics of security and insecurity, perception and misperception, identity and power. The Institute conducts academic research that has policy relevant implications, seeking to impact on the broader national debate on US China policy. The Institute also seeks to promote China studies in the state of Oklahoma, including providing student scholarships to study in China and faculty grants. Its two signature programs are the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature, and the US-China Diplomatic Dialogue.